Starship Troopers

SYNOPSIS

This ultra-violent adaptation of science-fiction writer Robert A Heinlein's classic 1959 novel - a saga about Earth versus alien bugs - is popcorn exploitation at its lip-smacking, blood-spattered best. Whether portraying the chilling spectacle of millions of ugly giant insects swarming over the planet or the astonishing intergalactic battles, the special effects are simply outstanding. It's when director Paul Verhoeven cuts to the teenage romance - which the young leads (Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards) clearly don't have the emotional depth or acting ability to handle - that his sensational cartoon carnage comes unstuck. But the dull bits are never long enough to really matter or do too much damage to one's sheer enjoyment of Verhoeven's absurdly apocalyptic satire.